Life, Love, and a Little Chocolate Cake
by buildmealegohouse96
Summary: If he'd been more awake, he would have seen the flash of pain in her eyes and caught her lie. But he wasn't. And so it was that he drifted to sleep once more, his heart made at ease with the soft, "I'm fine," that crossed her lips. For Round 1 of the QL Finals. Beater 2/Holyhead Harpies.


**Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition Finals Round 1:**

Position: Beater 2 for the Harpies

Round Prompts: Player 6: Metaphor ("You're a pig") and Foreshadowing ("If he'd been more awake, he would have seen the flash of pain in her eyes and caught her lie" foreshadows the second half of the story)

Optional Prompts: (word) forgive, (song) Jingle-Bell Rock, (word) tradition

WC: 1,516 (Grammarly)

* * *

George's first thought was that something smelled amazing, like vanilla and honey and warmth all mixed into a smell. It was a divine sort of smell, one that threatened to whisk him off into a deeper sleep, but then he felt something soft touch his lips, and something even softer brush his cheek.

He opened his eyes. Two bright blue ones stared back at him, surrounded by a halo of white-blonde hair that curled softly over creamy white shoulders. His eyes drifted to the pale pink lips that had so recently touched his own, and he silently wished for their lips to touch again.

"Luna? What time is it?" It was still dark in the room, with not a hint of light peeking through the curtains. George was still groggy enough that he couldn't even remember what day it was, let alone tell the hour.

"Half-past five in the morning."

"Half-past _five_?"

Luna cocked her head to the side. "Of course. You said you'd get up and dance around the tree with me this year, didn't you?"

George groaned. It was coming back to him now. Last year, they'd gotten together right after Christmas, but she'd told him of the tradition her mum had created when she was a child. They'd dance around the Christmas Tree every single year as the sun came up, greeting Christmas morning with bright smiles and a song. It was such a Lovegood thing to do that when he'd heard it, he'd laughed for a full minute. She'd smiled and made him promise to join her the next year.

That was when he'd kissed her for the first time. With his promise still on his lips, he'd kissed her with all the emotion he had.

It had been a very nice kiss, too. But he couldn't break this promise now, could he?

"Luna, couldn't we dance around the tree a little later?"

"But we have to dance at dawn. The sun will be up soon, George."

"The dawn won't know if you're a little late, Luna. We could dance at… eight. Or even nine?" he asked hopefully.

"It's _tradition_."

"Well, it's my tradition to sleep in on Christmas morning. I have since I was a kid, and I'd prefer to do it now."

He felt Luna sit up at his grumpy reply. "You really won't dance with me?"

George rolled over so his face was buried in his pillow. "I will," came the muffled reply. "Later."

He felt Luna kick off the covers and rolled over in time to see her pull on an old Ravenclaw jumper, a pair of his pajama bottoms, and some thick socks.

"Luna? You're okay that I'm not dancing, right?" George asked sleepily.

If he'd been more awake, he would have seen the flash of pain in her eyes and caught her lie. But he wasn't. And so it was that he drifted to sleep once more, his heart made at ease with the soft, "I'm fine," that crossed her lips.

* * *

A few hours later, George came downstairs to see Luna reading quietly in front of the fireplace, a mug of tea in her hand.

"What are you reading, love?"

"Nothing you'd find interesting."

George frowned at that. Luna loved telling him all the fascinating things she read about, and he enjoyed listening to her passionately talk about them, even if he had no idea what she was talking about. It was unlike her to pass up an opportunity to share. "Why's that?"

"It's not about pranking or impudent rogues, so there's nothing to which you can relate. Therefore, not interesting to you."

George's frown deepened. "Luna? Are you angry about this morning?"

He was met with silence.

"Luna. Come on, talk to me."

She turned a page. "I'm reading, George."

He was at a loss. Luna was usually very good at telling him when she was mad about something he'd done. He looked around for something he could do to fix the problem, and his eyes fell on the small radio he kept in the corner of his apartment. Jumping up, he flicked his wand at it. Some Muggle song blasted out into the room, and he dropped his wand on the couch and held out his hand.

"Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock," crooned the singer from the radio, and George extended a hand toward Luna.

"Dance with me?"

She simply flipped another page in her book. "I don't really feel like it right now."

"Are you sure? We can go around the tree, and—"

"Maybe later."

"Oh. Okay." He picked up his wand and flicked the radio off. "Would you like me to make you some more tea?"

"I already made extra."

"Do you want me to get it for you?"

She shook her head.

"Is it alright if I have some?"

She shrugged.

George retreated into the kitchen to think up a strategy. He'd never seen Luna like this. They'd had fights before, but nothing so big that she refused to say more than a few words to him. She was downright scary when she got angry, but he hadn't realized how much scarier the silent treatment was. At least when she yelled, he knew where he stood.

Glancing around the kitchen, he started thinking up ways to cheer Luna up. Obviously, this tradition meant a lot more to her than he'd realized, and he was beginning to think he'd need something big to adequately say sorry.

He grinned as an idea came into his head. Dashing to the pantry, he checked to see if he had all the proper ingredients. Then, he pulled out a mixing bowl and got to work.

* * *

By the time the banging had ceased in the kitchen, Luna had begun to calm down. The hour and a half that George spent shut away in the kitchen had given her the time she needed to figure out exactly why she was bothered by his inability to make good on his promise.

It wasn't because he wouldn't dance with her. She'd long understood that George wasn't a morning person. Honestly, it hadn't been that surprising when he'd refused to get out of bed.

So why had it hurt so much more this time?

Before she could answer that question, George walked out of the kitchen holding a plate with a cloth draped over it. Something bulky was beneath it, but she couldn't tell what that something was.

"Luna, will you please talk to me again?"

She sighed. "You're a pig, George Weasley."

His beautiful grin lit up his face, and she frowned inwardly. She was supposed to be mad at him, not falling for him all over again!

"As long as you're talking to me, I don't care how much you insult me," he said.

Luna smiled at that. "Fine. Then on top of being a pig, you're a dolt, a sleepyhead, and far too clever for your own good. What's under the cloth?"

He knelt down next to her, folding his legs underneath him and placing the plate in the middle.

She closed her book.

"Luna, you're right. I have been a selfish pig today. I didn't realize how much your parent's tradition meant to you. I guess, in my mind, I didn't really understand just how much you needed that feeling of Christmas, and I'm sorry that I didn't know enough to join you this morning. So, to make up for this morning, I'd like to start a new tradition."

She narrowed her eyes. "What are you proposing?"

"Every single time I do something horrendously stupid, I make you…" He flicked his wand and removed the cloth. "Chocolate cake!"

Luna looked at the cake. He'd carefully decorated it with snowflakes and gold Ravenclaw eagles and had written "I'M SORRY LUNA" on it.

"So? What do you say? Do you forgive me?"

She tried to bite back a smile, but she couldn't. "I have to taste it first."

George smiled, cutting her a piece and handing her a fork. She took a bite.

"Well?"

"I think you're going to be making a lot of chocolate cakes, George Weasley." Luna laughed as he fist pumped the air before pouncing on her, knocking the fork from her hand as he pinned her beneath him.

His lips grazed hers before he pulled back slightly. "I love you so much, Luna Lovegood," he whispered.

She smiled, kissing those sweet lips softly as she did so. "I love you, too, George."

And as the couple laughed and kissed on that snowy Christmas Day, they both knew that while they were sure to fight again, they'd always be able to solve it with a little love and some chocolate cake.


End file.
